In our first online workshop we played with the idea of introductions and identity by making quick 90 second lists on identity-related topics.
We figure that if you want to do comedy about something personal, you have to get up there and let the audience know who you are off the top. Brainstorming about how people see you (and how that differs from how you see yourself) can be a launching point for jokes to start off your set and set up any jokes where the audience will have to understand your perspective in order to appreciate what you are saying.
Activity
Write down different lists of 10 things to warm up.
You have 90 seconds to write out each list. It’s fast so that you don’t think. Set a timer and move on to the next one when you are done. It’s ok if you don’t get 10 for each list.
Quick Lists Writing Prompts
- 10 things that spark joy/inspire you
- 10 ways that people describe you
- 10 things people do not know about you at first
- 10 identities or labels of yours
- 10 moments when the world reminded you of one of your identities
- Break: Go back and circle the list items that pop out for you
- 10 things in your closet
- 10 embarrassing moments
- 10 of your values
- 10 moments you laughed at yourself for doing or thinking something
- Break: Go back and circle the list items that pop out for you
Using circled list words as inspiration, write a joke. (In the workshop this was helpful for some and for others it wasn’t. )
Another option is to use a circled word (if it is a noun) to do Lynda Barry’s X-page writing activity. It is an incredibly helpful way to start writing vivid stories, whether fiction or accessing memory. These stories can be edited down and punched up to form longer jokes.